Join us as Lee Stickle kicks off the conference with an outstanding keynote, Whew! Is it 2021 Yet?, followed by a Question and Answer session with Lee. The prerecorded breakout sessions will be shared following Lee’s session.

Find more information and the conference schedule on our website.

Opening Keynote

Whew! Is it 2021 Yet?

Lee Stickle, Director of Kansas State Department of Education’s Technical Assistance Support Network (TASN) Autism & Tertiary Supports and School Mental Health Initiative,

Without a doubt, the Spring of 2020 was the beginning of a challenge each of us never imagined. We experienced disruption after disruption to our homes, communities and country. Yet, here we are, standing on wobbly legs, staring toward a future that can be bright. How do we create certainty in uncertain times, and how do we emerge with greater strength and confidence? Come listen to what we have learned about resiliency, how to build it in yourself so that you can share it with your children!

Closing Keynote

Advocacy Lessons for Enviable Lives!

Dr. Ann Turnbull has been a professor, teacher, researcher, and advocate for individuals with disabilities, their families, and service providers for more than 5 decades.

Ann Turnbull was on the faculty at KU and is a “forever fan” of Families Together. She has been around since its inception. She has been a professor, researcher, and advocate for individuals with disabilities and their families for almost five decades. She has authored 37 books and over 350 articles and chapters. Ann and her husband, Rud, were selected by the National Historic Preservation Trust on Developmental Disabilities as two of 36 individuals who “changed the course of history for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the 20th Century.” Ann is quick to say that her “best professor” was her son, Jay (1967-2009), who experienced multiple disabilities and had an “enviable life,” for which she will be forever grateful. His enviable life required lots of advocacy, and every minute was worth it!

Breakout Sessions

Individuals registered for the conference will have access to pre-recorded content, available on-demand for two weeks (through Saturday, September 26, 2020)

1. Telehealth Tips: Navigating a New Normal in Times of Change - Tami Allen, Co-executive Director, Families Together and Craig Kuntson, Policy Analyst at Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities
2. Trauma, Toxic Stress, & Caregiver Well-Being- Lesli Girard, Co-executive Director, Families Together, Inc. and Jane Groff, Executive Director KPIRC
3. Early Childhood - Jordan Christian, Public Service Executive II – Kansas Interagency Coordinating Council Early Childhood, Jennifer Francois, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Applied Human Sciences, and Corey Yarrow, Family Health & Education Resource Specialist, Families Together, Inc.
4. Navigating Special Education Law during a Global Pandemic - Laura Jurgensen, KSDE Assistant Special Education Director and Title Services
5. Discover Strategies to Prevent and De-escalate Challenging Behaviors - Darla Nelson-Metzger, Program Director Families Together
6. Planning and Designing for Effective Hybrid/Online Learning for ALL Children - Sean Smith, Professor , Department of Special Education, University of Kansas, President, ISET, Technology Division for CEC, Board Member, National Down Syndrome Congress

Find more information and the conference schedule on our website.

Have questions about any of the topics? Email leia@familiestogetherinc.org. Follow and join the ongoing conversation using our hashtag #TWCL2020 on Twitter and Facebook.